The nearly weeklong dedication of Golkin Hall was many things: a moveable feast, joyous block party, and regal celebration. Music filled the air, from bagpipers to Mummers to the homegrown Indian a cappella group, Penn Masala. There was food at every turn, including a breakfast pastry shaped like a G. And there were acres of smiles. Abundance ruled. Students had a rollicking good time at a street fair; alumni toasted one another and the dean at a dinner celebrating the completion of the new building at the center of the Law School; and faculty opined on the state of legal education during a midday panel discussion. But the event to end all events occurred on the last day, when the Penn Law community welcomed Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to Philadelphia for the ribbon-cutting and a one-on-one conversation with former law school classmate, Dean Michael A. Fitts. Her lunch with students, the procession into Irvine Auditorium, and her measured, eloquent responses to questions – all made for a memorable conclusion to an historic week. The pomp and circumstance will live on for a long time. For a virtual tour of Golkin Hall, go here.

The Boundless Path of the Law by Christopher M. Trueax L'12
As a third year law student preparing to graduate and earn my J.D. in another month, I am excited about the many possibilities that lie ahead for me as a lawyer. Perhaps no one better exemplifies the kind of legal success that law students like me dream of than Justice Sotomayor, who has distinguished herself as a brilliant lawyer and judge while demonstrating... More »

President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price announced the appointment of Dorothy Roberts as the University of Pennsylvania’s fourteenth Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor, effective July 1, 2012. Roberts will share her appointment between the Law School and the Department of Sociology. Roberts, an acclaimed scholar of race, gender, and the law, will also be the inaugural Raymond Pace and Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander ED’18, GR’21, L’27 Professor of Civil Rights.

The Class of 2012 Commencement Address will be delivered by Mayor Rudy Giuliani. His varied career includes his years as a lawyer, prosecutor, Mayor of New York City, Deputy Attorney General of the United States - and as a 2008 presidential candidate.

He won election as mayor in 1993 and was re-elected in 1997. In 2002 he founded Giuliani Partners LLC, and joined the law firm Bracewell & Patterson LLP (now Bracewell & Giuliani) in 2005. After his presidential bid and in addition to his private sector work, he remains a frequent commentator on politics and American society.

Mayor Giuliani earned his bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College and is a 1968 graduate of NYU Law. He clerked for Judge Lloyd MacMahon, United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York; after joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, at the age of 29 he was named Chief of the Narcotics Unit. During the 1970s and 80s he served in the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., rising to Associate Attorney General, the third-highest position in the department, and eventually serving as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he earned a reputation as a successful prosecutor of organized crime figures and white-collar criminals.

Commencement will be held May 14 at the Academy of Music.

Reunion 2012 is almost here!

Check out a few highlights below, and for all classes ending in 2s and 7s, please do come join us on Friday, May 11th & Saturday, May 12th!

Explore the new Golkin Hall, and be sure to check out our new state-of-the-art moot courtroom.

Catch up on CLE (including ethics credit!) through five opportunities featuring our diverse and interesting panels discussing art law, constitutional issues arising in the “war on terror,” and more.

Find out what’s new at Penn Law (a whole lot) with Dean Michael A. Fitts’ State of the Law School remarks in our brand new auditorium on Friday afternoon.

Enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres in new and old spaces within Penn Law (all reunion classes) on Friday night – set to the tune of Drew Nugent’s live hot jazz, and followed by alum Matt Ritter’s comedy show.

Bring the whole family out to the Courtyard Saturday afternoon for food, drinks, lively conversation, and a bit of nostalgia.

Soak up the beauty of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, our gorgeous setting for all reunion classes’ gala cocktail reception and (delicious Stephen Starr-catered) dinner on Saturday night! Live Brazilian music by Minas included.

Download our brand new Penn Law Reunion App!

For iPhone/iPad/iTouch: Search for “Penn Law Reunion” in the iTunes App Store or scan the QR code (left)

For Blackberry/Droid/other smartphones: Access the app by pointing to https://pennlaw2012.gatherdigital.com on your smartphone browser.

The Law Alumni Society’s annual Awards Ceremony and Reception will once again take place in October. Last year’s Alumni Award winners honored committed human rights and immigrants' rights advocate, Chandra Bhatnagar L'01; dedicated public servant and current President of the Legal Services Corporation, James Sandman L'76; the executive director of Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, Lynn Marks L'79; a leading authority on economic discrimination and minority legal feminism, Prof. Regina Austin L'73; and the founder and co-president of the National Women's Law Center, Marcia Greenberger L'70.

Call for nominations! Please assist us in honoring our fellow Penn Law alumni by sending in your own nominations for this year's awardees. Please complete our one-page nomination form by clicking here, and send to Corey Ellen Fulton at cefulton@law.upenn.edu by June 30, 2012.

The Law Alumni Society’s 2012 Alumni Awards Ceremony will present six awards to outstanding alumni. New this year is the Louis H. Pollak Public Service Award, named for the Hon. Louis H. Pollak, who has served Penn Law as a Professor of Law (1974-1978), as Dean (1975-1978) and currently, as an Adjunct Professor of Law. Judge Pollak has served as a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania since his appointment in 1978, and has made innumerable contributions to the public sector throughout his career.

The James Wilson Award: honoring service to the legal profession

The Distinguished Service Award: honoring service to Penn Law

Alumni Award of Merit: honoring outstanding professional achievements together with service to and support of the Law School

Young Alumni Award: honoring distinguished service and achievement in the 10 years following graduation (alumni from the Class of 2001 through the Class of 2011)

The Howard Lesnick Pro Bono Award: honoring sustained commitment to pro bono and/or public service throughout a private sector career

The Louis H. Pollak Public Service Award: honoring a career of advancing justice through the service of others

From the New York Giants’ locker room at MetLife Stadium to Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. headquarters in Miami to the 54th floor of the Wells Fargo Center in LA, Penn Law alumni have been gathering around the U.S. in 2012. They talked with admitted students in Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco; toured the New York Giants’ locker room and press box at MetLife Stadium before a reception in the Legacy Club; celebrated the NYC Alumni Club’s fourth anniversary at The Three Monkeys; and were treated to a reception and talk by branding expert Bruce Turkel with South Florida Wharton alumni. In Indianapolis, two alumni discussed Careers in Law: The Firm and the Academy during lunch and in Washington D.C. Professor Stephanos Bibas spoke on Teaching by Litigating at the Supreme Court: The New World of Crimmigration. In Chicago they enjoyed an informal reception with Dean Michael A. Fitts. Check out photos from these alumni events and what lies ahead here.

Corey Fulton L'07

Director of Alumni Relations Corey Fulton L'07

Who better to work with alumni than an alumna? Corey Fulton L’07, the new director of alumni relations, returns to the law school after practicing law at a range of large and small firms. Corey comes with the perfect portfolio: she is steeped in the law school’s culture, having served as symposium editor of the Journal for International Economic Law (JIEL) and as vice president of social affairs of the Latino/a American Law Students Association (LALSA). In each instance, Corey was deeply involved in event planning and student engagement. She organized the annual academic program for JIEL and La Gran Fiesta for LALSA. These experiences will serve her well in her new position, which involves overseeing reunion and the Law Alumni Society Board of Managers. More broadly, Corey will act as a liaison between alumni and the law school. She sees her role as helping to forge stronger alumni connections to the law school and classmates, as well as developing more opportunities for students to engage with alumni through mentoring and networking. Corey is a welcome addition to the law school, and she welcomes contact from alumni. You can reach her at cefulton@law.upenn.edu or 215.898.0672. Nancy Rasmussen (nrasmuss@law.upenn.edu), Associate Director of Alumni Relations, will continue to work with regional groups and events.

Bold Ambitions – Campaign Update

We are nearing the end of the Campaign with $172M of the $175M goal raised thus far for the priorities set at the start of this exceptionally ambitious effort. Student Aid, Professorships, Annual Program Support and Facilities have all benefitted from the commitments made by so many of you to Penn Law. Thank you for your continued support...

Stephanos Bibas

Penn Law Prof. Stephanos Bibas, Director of the Law School’s Supreme Court Clinic, recently scored a U.S. Supreme Court victory in a complex immigration case involving a permanent resident of the U.S. facing deportation. In Vartelas v. Holder, the Court ruled for the petitioner, Panagis Vartelas, whose case had been argued by Bibas, assisted by the Clinic’s students.

Ben Grunwald C'08, L'13, PhD'13, a second-year Penn Law student who is pursuing a joint degree in law and criminology, has won the 2012 Student Paper Award from the Law and Society Association for his study of sentencing guidelines.